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Date of judgement | 12 October 2017 |
Proceeding number | 2015/311379 |
Judge(s) | Kunc J |
Court or Tribunal | Supreme Court of NSW |
TAXES AND DUTIES — payroll tax — liability to taxation — out of hours cleaning services provided to supermarkets and other businesses — “employment agency contracts” — whether services procured “for a client” of the employment agent — Payroll Tax Act 2007 (NSW), s 37(1)
Freelance Global Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2014] NSWSC 127
Harris v Woolworths Ltd [2010] NSWSC 25
Harris v Woolworths Ltd [2010] NSWCA 312
UNSW Global Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2016] NSWSC 1852; (2016) 104 ATR 577
World Book (Australia) Pty Ltd v Commission of Taxation (1992) 27 NSWLR 377
JP Property Services Pty Ltd (“the Taxpayer”) provided cleaning and property maintenance services to commercial and industrial clients, including supermarkets operated by Franklins. To provide these services, the Taxpayer used either its own employees or contractors. The key issue in the case was whether the Taxpayer’s contract with Franklins was an employment agency contract pursuant to s. 37 of the Payroll Tax Act 2007 (NSW) (“the Act”).
Following the hearing on 6 December 2016, White J delivered his judgment in UNSW Global Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2016] NSWSC 1852, which changed the previous approach White J had expressed in Freelance Global Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2014] NSWSC 127. The parties were granted an opportunity to file further submissions.
The case entirely turned on whether the Taxpayer’s contracts with Franklins (and other businesses) were employment agency contracts pursuant to the definition in s. 37 of the Act.
Section 37 provides:
“(1) For the purposes of this Act, an employment agency contract is a contract, whether formal or informal and whether express of implied, under which a person (an employment agent) procures the services of another person (a service provider) for a client of the employment agent”.
The Court adopted Justice White's analysis in UNSW Global Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2016] NSWSC 1852.
The Court agreed that in order to determine whether the Taxpayer had procured the services of its contractors for its client (i.e. Franklins) the focus was on whether the cleaning services were procured by the Taxpayer “in and for the conduct of the business” of the Taxpayer’s client. His Honour agreed with White J that the key question was whether the services provided helped the client conduct its business in the same way, or much the same way, as it would through an employee.
The Court held that whether the services that were provided satisfy the new formulation set down by White J in UNSW Global is a factual determination. That is, it is a question of fact in each and every case whether the services provided help a client conduct its business in the same way, or much the same way, as it would through an employee.
Applying the test to the circumstances in this case, the Court held that the cleaning services were not provided by the cleaners in and for the conduct of the business of Franklins because they were provided outside of business hours. On the other hand, the Court held that cleaners working during business hours would satisfy the test because of Franklins' duty of care to shoppers, which necessitated an effective system for cleaning spills during shopping hours. His Honour observed at [80]:
"such a cleaner is working in the supermarket's business because the cleaner is doing so during the hours the supermarket is open to sell goods to the public and discharges a function integral to the safe and lawful operation of the supermarket during that time."
The Court rejected the Chief Commissioner’s submission that requirements to keep supermarket premises (as a “food business”) clean under the Food Act 2003 (NSW) meant that the out-of-hours cleaners were working in and for the conduct of Franklin’s business because they were providing a service which enabled Franklins to meet its legislative requirements. This finding contrasts with his Honour’s reliance on Franklins’ duty of care as a basis for concluding that cleaners who worked during business hours would be working in and for the conduct of the business of Franklins.
The Court rejected the submissions made by the Taxpayer that:
The Court accepted the Chief Commissioner’s arguments that:
The Court made the following orders:
JP Property Services Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2017] NSWSC 1391